Amid global energy and environmental challenges, thermoelectric generation (TEG) technology offers a green solution by converting thermal energy directly into electricity. However, traditional TEG systems are limited by low energy density and inability to operate around the clock. A joint research team has developed a bio-inspired Janus-structured metamaterial device integrating microstructured SiO₂ radiative cooling and Si photothermal layers, achieving 24-hour continuous power generation with a peak voltage of 108 mV and power density of 41.5 μW/cm², marking a major advance in sustainable energy technology.

Two-dimensional (2D) Bi₂O₂Se nanosheets, as an emerging ternary layered semiconductor, exhibit promising potential for photodetection owing to their moderate bandgap, high carrier mobility, and excellent environmental stability. However, their intrinsically high carrier concentration typically results in elevated dark currents and sluggish response speeds, thereby limiting further performance enhancement. To synergistically optimize both the response speed and sensitivity, we fabricated n-type Bi₂O₂Se nanosheets via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and integrated them into a Bi₂O₂Se/InSe semi-vertical heterojunction photodetector featuring a single-sided depletion region. Benefitting from the type-II band alignment and the graphene bottom electrode, photogenerated carriers are efficiently separated and rapidly extracted. This design simultaneously shortens the carrier transit time and suppresses recombination, enabling the device to achieve high sensitivity (responsivity R of 0.47 A/W, detectivity D* of 3.21 × 10¹² Jones, external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 166.09%) while maintaining ultrafast response characteristics (rise/fall times of 48.5/41.7 μs). The photodetector exhibits broadband self-powered operation across ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths (300 ~ 1050 nm). These results highlight the significant potential of Bi₂O₂Se/InSe semi-vertical heterojunctions for high-performance, low-power, self-powered broadband photodetectors spanning the UV-Vis-NIR spectrum.

Inspired by the tetrachromatic vision of butterflies, researchers have developed an artificial optoelectronic synapse using monolayer tungsten disulfide (WS₂). This device can simultaneously sense and process both ultraviolet and visible light, mimicking key brain functions like learning and memory with an ultralow energy cost of 2.28 aJ per event. An 8 × 8 synaptic array was built to demonstrate high-fidelity image sensing, memory, and preprocessing, boosting recognition accuracy of complex color images to over 98%. This work paves the way for next-generation machine vision systems with ultraviolet-visible spectral intelligence.

Efficient and safe delivery of nucleic acids, proteins, and other biomacromolecules to target tissues in vivo remains a central challenge in gene therapy, cancer immunotherapy, and vaccine development. In vivo electroporation (IVE) offers a non-viral and controllable delivery strategy by transiently increasing cell membrane permeability through short, pulsed electric fields, enabling efficient intracellular transport of therapeutic agents. With recent advances in electrode design, pulse modulation, and intelligent control systems, IVE is rapidly evolving from a laboratory technique toward clinical implementation. These developments have expanded its potential applications in cancer therapy, nucleic acid vaccines, and genome editing, underscoring the need for a systematic and forward-looking overview of this emerging technology.

Marking the 50th anniversary of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), a multidisciplinary Chinese research team presents a comprehensive Perspective in Nano Research, highlighting the paradigm shift toward rationally designed semiconductor substrates. The article details key enhancement strategies—including energy-level customization, amorphization, quasi-metallization, and morphology control—that enable ultrasensitive, molecule-selective detection. These advances have unlocked transformative applications in virus identification, food safety monitoring, gas sensing, and early cancer diagnosis. The authors emphasize that overcoming standardization challenges through multi-stakeholder collaboration is essential to bridge the lab-to-market gap and establish semiconductor SERS as a core platform for next-generation sensing and diagnostics.

This study investigates how hunter-gatherer populations in the southern Caucasus survived and adapted between 57,000 and 27,000 years ago. Drawing on archaeological, geological, and environmental, evidence, the researchers reconstructed patterns of mobility, population density, and social interaction across a vast and environmentally diverse region. Uniquely, the study moves beyond the traditional focus on climate and stone tools to examine how social networks functioned as a survival strategy. The findings reveal that despite living in small prehistoric communities, dispersed populations, maintained long-distance connections through the exchange of knowledge, technology, and social ties—networks that may have been just as important as environmental adaptation in helping people endure periods of profound change.